Appalachian State University

Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina, Appalachian State University has built a national reputation for outstanding academics. With a student/faculty ratio of 17:1 and an average class size of 24, faculty members are able to take a personal interest in student progress, often becoming mentors, advisers, and friends - even tennis partners. That can only happen in a close-knit community. The university's athletic programs are as nationally significant as its academics and ASU's teams inspire spirited passion and attendance from locals and alums alike. ASU football games have been popular events for regional college sports fans since the 1930s when "Tweetsie," the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad, ran excursion trains to Boone with fans from far and wide.

Nestled at the base of Howards Knob, the university flanks downtown Boone, NC (year-round pop. 15,000), a small town that thrives as one of the Southeast's premier year-round tourism and outdoor recreation destinations. The nearby Blue Ridge Parkway, the nation's most popular unit of the national park system, and Pisgah National Forest, provide a beautiful natural setting with unlimited possibilities for outdoor adventure. Winter skiing at the Deep South's biggest ski areas is always a popular sidelight to an ASU education.

But it's the university's educational environment that shines, with annual accolades from national magazines for the quality and value of an ASU education. That includes highly regarded programs for campus energy efficiency and even international visibility for its solar and sustainable building programs. All of that and more is why ASU is one of the top campuses in the University of North Carolina, the nation's earliest state-sponsored university system.

Solid Accolades

Appalachian State University's consistent quality is reflected by high rankings in these national publications:

Comprehensive Degree Choices

Appalachian offers more than 140 undergraduate and graduate major programs within the four academic colleges (Arts and Sciences, Fine and Applied Arts, Education and Business) and the School of Music. Additionally, Appalachian offers a doctorate of education.

Internationally Connected

Contributors to Knowledge

A total of $11.1 million in research grants and contracts was awarded to the university in 2006-07. Appalachian encourages faculty/student collaboration on research and creative endeavors, so many of these projects generate special opportunities for undergraduates.

Volunteers in the Community

The Appalachian and the Community Together (ACT) office at Appalachian provided an estimated $1.74 million of volunteer service to the community during the 2006-07 school year based on the national standard for volunteer time.

Engaged Audiences

The University Forum Lecture Series brings nationally prominent speakers to campus. Their views enliven campus dialogue on a variety of issues. In Spring 2008, the series hosted visits by writer and feminist activist Gloria Steinem and award-winning scholar and historian Nell Painter.

Athletic Champions

Appalachian offers 20 intercollegiate varsity sports for men and women. The Mountaineers have earned both the Southern Conference's Commissioner's Cup and Germman Cup for best all-around men's and women's sports two years in a row - the only institution to do that and something Appalachian has accomplished eight times. In football, the Mountaineers have won three consecutive NCAA Division I FCS national championship titles.